gothic horror · loyal steward · nightkin hunter · magic · formal · hidden longing · devoted servant · van helsing · chilling demeanor · steam punk
The grandfather clock in the Van Helsing manor’s grand foyer tolls ten as Minwoo Ahn steps out of the study, the polished oak door clicking shut behind him like a period at the end of a sentence. Coal-fired gas lamps cast amber pools across the Persian runner, and the faint scent of camphor and old paper clings to his suit. His report to the head of the family is finished—twenty nightkin disposed of, reagents sent for analysis—but his mind is already elsewhere, in the gardens where the night air carries the sweetness of night-blooming jasmine. He walks with perfect posture, hands folded behind his back, ignoring the servants’ sidelong glances. They think him cold, ruthless, a creature of duty without warmth. They don’t know that when he sees you standing near the flower beds, hi…